Purpose
by mickiept
Summary: PreNaruto. Implied NaruSaku. She doesn't know it, but she saved his life. In more ways than one.


_"Give it up you stupid boy. You could never become a ninja." _

The words of the teacher echoed through the young boy's mind as he sat on the docks, his knees tucked underneath his chin and the dark water of the lake below him.

_"You're worthless, freak." _

He honestly didn't know what he did to deserve the treatment he got. It couldn't be because he was an orphan because there were plenty of orphans in Konohagakure and the citizens always treated them with respect. It wasn't because he was a prankster, because he had been hated before he had even so much as spoken his first word much less done anything of note. Whatever reason he came up with, there was always a counterexample, except for one: it must be his purpose to be hated. Everybody had a purpose and this was his. To be hated by everyone so they wouldn't have to hate and kill each other. He was sent from Heaven for a life of Hell.

_"Monster." _

The boy looked down at the water and stared at his reflection. His eyes. His sky blue eyes were filled with the same hate as the villagers. It wasn't directed towards them so much as himself. It seemed even he was doomed to hate him. He closed his eyes and turned away, a single tear slipping down his face.

_"Why don't you just die, you wretched child?" _

That was the answer. He would end his life here. In the lake. And they would find his cadaver in the morning and have to fish it out, one last thing to spite them with before his body was burned and he was forgotten as his ashes blew away in the spring breeze.

He wanted to believe that maybe someone respected him enough to remember him, but that would be asking too much. Just end it here. He stood up and prepared to step over the edge.

"What are you doing?" a voice chimed from behind, causing him to lose his balance. He was about to fall into the water like he had planned to do when a small hand grabbed the back of his white shirt and pulled him onto the dock, landing on his bottom.

"What are you doing?" The voice demanded again. The boy looked up to see the face of a young girl about his age, with pale pink hair tied in a red ribbon and jade green eyes. Those eyes looked very angry at him at the moment.

"Uh," he said dumbfounded, "Taking a swim."

The little girl put her hands on her hips and scowled. "No you weren't, you baka, you were going to kill yourself. Why would you do a thing like that?"

The boy frowned and turned his eyes away from the girl's penetrating glare. "Everyone hates me. Might as well die." he muttered.

There was a pause, and the boy had thought the girl had left but just then, her voice boomed, nearly scaring him to the death he wanted to go to so badly. "THAT'S THE STUPIDEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD!"

The boy began to glare and jumped to his feet. "You wouldn't think it was so stupid if everyone hated you."

"I know who you are. You want to die? Go right ahead. But don't do it because everyone hates you now. What have you done to earn their respect? All you do is act like an idiot. Do something to make people respect you, and people will like you. But don't go killing yourself before you've even tried." The girl argued.

They stared at each other before the girl turned away. "What's your name?" The boy asked.

"Haruno Sakura." She said without turning around. "And don't tell anyone I helped you."

"Do you respect me?" He asked.

She snorted. "Of course not, and I doubt I ever will. You're just an idiot."

"Who do you respect?"

"My Kaachan and Touchan, my sensei's, Hokage-sama…"

"Why that old man?"

She turned around angrily. "Everyone respects the Hokage-sama because he is the strongest. I don't want to talk to you anymore." She turned back around and began to walk home, wishing she had listened to her Kaachan and not talked to him in the first place.

"Hey, Sakura-chan," She didn't turn around, "My name is Uzamaki Naruto, and I'm going to earn your respect, and the village's respect, by becoming Hokage."

Sakura snorted at Naruto as she walked down the road. Hokage? Him? He would always remain an idiot and never amount to anything. But Naruto didn't care if she believed in him or not, he would earn her respect. After all, she saved his life and gave him a goal. He owed it to her to fulfill that goal.

* * *

**This is my first time writing Naruto. I don't know, I don't think it's very good.**


End file.
